Such rescue vehicles are known from the state of the art. They are used, for example, by the fire department to transport equipment and/or rescue personnel to the site of a mission. In case of above-ground use, the vehicle operation may have, for example, an internal combustion engine. This may, in principle, also apply to a rescue vehicle used for underground operation. In particular, drives having internal combustion engines with the lowest possible pollutant output are used for this purpose. As an alternative or in addition, the drive unit may have a hybrid engine. In addition or as an alternative, an electric motor may also be provided for the drive unit.
The driver's cab is provided primarily for the driver of the rescue vehicle. The usual configurations for steering the rescue vehicle are often provided for this.
In addition, the rescue vehicle has a rescue cab, which is fastened to the chassis. The chassis may also be called underframe. The rescue cab is configured as a unit separate from the driver's cab. It proved to be advantageous in practice if the rescue cab is arranged behind the driver's cab in the longitudinal direction of the rescue vehicle to offer unobstructed view for the driver in the driver's cab in the direction of travel. The rescue cab is used to transport persons who are necessary for offering aid in case of accidents or the like. In addition, the rescue cab may transport rescue equipment and/or other objects, which are necessary for a rescue mission.
There often is a higher risk potential in underground operations, especially in mining or in tunnel construction, because the escape possibilities are very limited for persons who work, for example, in mines. Therefore, specially configured escape possibilities are often provided in environments with high risk potential. These may be configured, for example, in the form of refuge chambers. If an emergency situation develops, the persons working in the mine can proceed to said refuge chambers in order to protect themselves from the risks mentioned. The persons often stay in these refuge chambers until the emergency situation is eliminated or until a rescue vehicle arrives in order to provide medical care for and/or rescue the persons in question.
Situations in which gases that are toxic for humans develop frequently develop in an emergency situation in underground operations. To protect persons located in underground operations when an accident or emergency situation develops, gas masks may be provided in the refuge chambers. To offer medical care for or rescue the persons in question, gas masks are usually provided for the persons of the rescue vehicle, i.e., for example, for the driver, who is in the driver's cab and steers the vehicle, as well as for the rescue persons, who are in the rescue cab.
It is known from the prior art that gas masks often make breathing difficult for the user of such a gas mask. The rescue persons of the rescue vehicle are subject to increased breathing efforts due to their use of gas masks on their way to the accident site.
It is, in addition, known from the prior art that gas masks have a limited maximum service life. Thus, the service life of a mask may be limited, for example, to several hours or to another duration. The remaining time during which the breathing mask can be safely used at the emergency site decreases due to the gas mask being used during the ride to the emergency site and during the ride from the emergency site to a safe location.